Hero
by kattiesmom
Summary: Follows Hurricane. Vanessa is about to get married. Her day should be the happiest in her life, but she can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen. Will she survive her wedding day, or will she die trying to marry Loki?


Vanessa Brooks, Princess Aurelia Bower, was anxious. In a few hours, she would be getting married to Loki. That's not the reason she was so anxious though. For the past two weeks, she had been having nightmares. A faceless monster was coming after her, she couldn't run away fast enough, and she couldn't scream for help, she had no voice. She would wake up breathing heavy, and on edge. She felt like something was still in the room with her, watching her. She tried shaking the feeling, and act normal, but Loki was starting to notice. She had become more jumpy, and Loki was concerned about her. That wasn't all though, she had a feeling like something bad was going to happen, but she didn't know what, or when. When Loki would ask her about it, she would wave it off, saying it was due to stress, but she didn't really think that was it though. He didn't look like he believed her either.

Now she was in her room, getting ready for the wedding. Lorena and Sif helped her get ready. Sif had been a huge help getting everything ready for the wedding. Sif did pretty much everything, all Vanessa had to do was give final approval on it. She had no clue what the Asguardian customs were, and with out Sif, she would have been lost.

Sif was currently trying to get Vanessa to calm down. Lorena was in the process of getting Vanessa's hair done. It would be curly waves.

"I know something bad is going to happen, something is going to go wrong." Vanessa said.

"Nothing is going to happen Aurelia. Everything will go smoothly, and by this time tomorrow, you will be on your honeymoon." Sif told her.

Vanessa sighed. Sif didn't understand. She would be worried too if she had the same feeling in her gut that Vanessa did. Vanessa closed her eyes, and tried to relax. She didn't need the stress, not today. Sif and Lorena worked quickly. When they finished, she looked amazing. She was looking at her transformed reflection when there was a knock at the door. It was Thor.

"You look amazing Aurelia." Thor said.

She looked over at him and smiled.

"Thank you Thor." She said.

Lorena brought over a diamond necklace and a pair of diamond earrings. Thor put the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp. She put the earrings through the holes in her ears. Lorena then brought over the tiara. It was gorgeous, with real diamonds and crystals, and it was pure gold. Thor took it from Lorena, and put it on Vanessa's head.

"You are perfect, Loki will be speechless for once. Take it as a compliment, not many can do that to my brother." Thor told her.

She blushed.

"You are too kind Thor, thank you." She said.

Thor smiled at her. He held his arm out for her to take.

"Are you ready?" He asked her.

She took a deep breath, and nodded.

"It's time to go." Thor said.

She took his arm, and he escourted her to the throne room.

"Thor, have your hammer with you during the ceremony, I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen." She told him.

He looked over at her and smiled.

"Aurelia, you need to relax, this is a happy day for you, and all of us. Today I gain a sister, and you a brother. Nothing bad should be happening today, however, I have Majonir with me at all times. If anything should happen, I shall be ready for it." He told her.

She nodded.

"Thank you." She said.

"Now, relax, Loki is waiting for you, anxiously." Thor said.

She smiled.

The guards opened the doors, and she heard the music change to a slow march.

"Here we go." He whispered to her.

She took a deep breath, and they started walking down the carpeted aisle. At the end of the aisle stood Odin, with Loki to his left. Loki wanted to see her when she got to him, so he stood with his back to her. He wanted to be surrprised at what she looked like up close. He wanted her to be the first person he saw when he turned around. Odin had his eye on her the whole way down the aisle, and as she got closer to him, he smiled at her. She returned the smile, and when they got to Loki, Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki turned, and his mouth dropped open. She blushed under his gaze. Thor handed Vanessa's hand to Loki. Loki took her hand in his, and pressed his lips to her hand. She smiled at him.

"You look so beautiful." He whispered.

She blushed.

Thor took his seat as Vanessa and Loki turned to Odin. Odin started the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to unite two people in union of husband and wife. Today I gain a daughter, Loki gains a wife, and Thor gains a sister. Today Asguard gains new family member. Today, Aurelia, you gain a family. Welcome." Odin said.

She smiled up at him.

Suddenly, they were interupted. They heard an explosion, and everything started shaking. She wasn't sure if Asguard had earthquakes, but that's what it had felt like to her. She held on to Loki. She knew something was going to happen. Thor jumped to his feet, and ran out of the room, Sif and the warriors three quickly followed, trailed by some of the other guards. She looked at Odin.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

He shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. He walked past them, and headed through the doors that Thor had just gone through. She squeezed Loki's hand, and looked over at him. He turned to her, and put his hand on her cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I haven't made it this far, to suddenly lose you." He told her.

She smiled up at him, and covered his hand with hers.

"I know, but you don't have to worry so much about me, you of all people know that I can take care of myself." She said.

He smiled.

"Oh yes, I remember quite well." He said.

They heard loud screams starting to come from the corridor on the other side of the doors. Her stomach twisted into knots. She didn't know what was out there, but she knew that it wasn't anything good. Another tremor shook the room, and people began panicking. When the ceiling started falling, people started making a beeline for an exit. Loki grabbed her hand and pulled her down a passage behind the throne.

"Loki, we need to help Thor, Odin, and the others." She told him.

He shook his head.

"No, we need to get to safety. You need to get to safety." He told her.

"I'm not hiding, I'm going to help protect Asguard, from whatever is attacking us. I have the ability to help, and that's what I'm going to do. You can either go and hide, or help too." She said.

He grabbed, and kissed her, pressing her up against the wall.

"You need to be careful. If you need any help, call for me, and I will be right next to you." He told her.

She gave a nod.

"Of course." She said.

Loki transformed into his armour, and then transformed her gown into her Ravenna outfit, minus the mask. He kissed her once more, and then they headed to find the fighting.

They passed bodies laying on the ground. Some were Asguardians, but others were of Frost Giants. The giants had decided to attack during the wedding, to do the most damage, when everyone was preoccupied, and not ready for their attack. They heard Thor fighting out in the distance, while Odin was fighting in the gardens. They had to split up to make a real impact.

"Go and help Thor. I will help Odin." She told him.

He was about to argue, but she kissed him.

"I will be fine. I promise." She told him.

He gave a nod, then he headed over to help Thor. She watched him go, took a deep breath, and then went to help Odin.

The few surviving frost giants had rallied together, and became stronger, to exact revenge on Loki and Asguard. Odin saw her, and gave a nod. She began battling with one of the frost giants that had tried taking out Odin while Odin was all ready battling three other giants. She'd never really seen what a frost giant looked like before, but they were tall. She flew up, so that she was eye to eye with him. She hovered in front of him, and he swiped at her. She dodged his hit, and put her hand out. He was thrown backwards, and she smirked. Suddenly, she was hit from behind, and was sent soaring through the air. She heard Odin call out her name. She hit her willow tree, and fell to the ground. She looked up, and the battle had seemed to pause for a moment, as all of the frost giants stared at her. She blinked and the battle resumed. She put a hand on her back, being thrown into a tree hurt like hell.

She stumbled to her feet. Two frost giants were coming for her. She flew up into the air, rubbing the sore spot on her back. She'd have a bruise in the morning. She put both hands up, and concentrated. She managed to lift them both in the air. She put her hands together, and the two giants crashed into each other, hard, and the force made them explode into shards of ice. She scanned the area, and found Odin. She held her hands out once more, lifting two more giants off of the ground. She concentrated, and made them explode also.

She flew over to another, and started an aerial assault on him. She punched him in the face, using telekenetic force to help, and then dodged his counter hit. She hit him, dodged, and hit him again. She took out his eyes, and blood oozed out of the sockets. He swung wildly at her. She threw him into a tree, and she knew that he wouldn't be getting back up any time soon.

She found herself being thrown through the air again, and heading straight for the stone bench. She couldn't stop the momentum in time, and she hit. She heard a sickening crunch, when her head hit the edge of the bench. She landed in a heap on the ground. Pain was radiating all over her body. She felt someone approach her. She opened her eyes, and saw a frost giant standing in front of her. The pain was becoming too much for her to handle. The giant bent over, and picked her up. She saw Loki and Thor running towards her. She felt the Frost Giant stab her through her back. She looked down, and saw an ice blade coming out of her stomach. She felt blood start coming out of her mouth. She locked eyes with Loki. He looked horrified. Darkness claimed her, and she passed out.

X*X*X

_Vanessa looked around her at the landscape. It was a meadow. The day was bright and clear. The wind was nice and warm. She smiled, and hugged herself. She felt at peace. Was this Heaven? Was she dead?_

_"Aurelia."_

_She turned to find a woman standing in front of her. Instantly she knew who it was. There wasn't a doubt in her mind as to who the woman was. The woman was her birth mother. The one that had sent her to Midguard, to save her._

_"Mom." She whispered._

_Her mother smiled and nodded. She held her arms open, and Vanessa walked into her embrace._

_"I'm so proud of you, of who you've become. I'm so happy that you have found Thor and Loki. Odin will protect you very well. He is very powerful, and you will be very powerful one day also. I'm glad that you were able to find someone that you love, and loves you back. When you do get married, I will be right there along side of you, in spirit."_

_Her mother kissed the top of her head._

_"You were born to rule Aurelia. It is your destiny, and you will fufill that destiny." Her mother told her._

_She looked at her mother._

_"Thor is next in succession. How will I rule when he is next in line?" She asked._

_Her mother smiled at her._

_"It is written in the stars that you will rule some day. I have faith that you will rule, and be fair, but firm. Your people will love you dearly, and you will go down in history. You do not have to worry." Her mother said._

_She nodded._

_Her mother started pulling away, and started walking away._

_"Wait!"_

_Her mother turned to face her._

_"I just got to meet you, do you have to leave?" Vanessa asked._

_Her mother smiled at her warmly._

_"Aurelia, I must go. You should return, you are needed. Loki is very worried about you. He loves you Aurelia, and he has made a change that no one else but you could have brought about. You are so special, more than you'll ever know, or realize. I'm not leaving, I will always be around every step of your life, in here. I love you Aurelia, never forget that." Her mother told her, pointing to her heart._

_Vanessa nodded._

_Her mother began walking away. Moments later, her mother had faded away. Vanessa hugged herself, and turned around. She was now standing in her room at the palace. There was a knock at the door. She went over and answered it. It was Loki. He kissed her, then held his arm out for her to take. She took it, and they started walking down the corridor. _

_"Loki, where are we going?" She asked him._

_He laughed._

_"You are silly Vanessa. We are going to the ceremony." He told her._

_Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about._

_"Dear, we are being crowned King and Queen today. Since we have married, and produced heirs, Odin has decided that you shall be next in line for the throne. Since we are married, I am to be crowned King, once you are crowned." Loki told her._

_She just gave a nod._

_Loki led her to the throne room, walking her to Odin. They got down on their knees in front of Odin. Odin spoke to Vanessa first, asking her to pledge her loyalty to the crown, and do what was the best for Asguard and the nine realms. She told him that she would. He told her to rule fair, but firm, and when necessary, fight to protect. She said that she would. Odin gave a nod, and put the queen's tiara on her head. Odin then turned to Loki, and asked him to pledge the same. Loki promised that he would also. Odin studied Loki for a moment, and Loki patiently waited for Odin to move on. Not once did he seem like he was scheming. Vanessa had brought him so far, that Loki's actions were barely recognizable from when they had first met. Odin finally nodded, and then crowned him. Odin raised his hands to the crowd, and told them all to bow and meet the queen and king of Asguard. Vanessa and Loki stood, and turned to face the crowd. The crowd got down on one knee. Vanessa looked over at Loki, and smiled._

_She suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere. It felt evil. The door flew open, and frost giants were storming the room. She was frozen in fear. Suddenly, everything was going in slow motion. She saw the first giant run for Loki. Loki wasn't quick enough. The giant stabbed Loki in the heart. He fell to his knees, then his body fell to the ground. She opened her mouth to scream in horror, but no noise came out. No matter how loud she tried to get, she couldn't scream. She saw the frost giant take Odin out next. Thor stepped up, and wasn't a challenge for the beast at all. They were all dead. They were all laid out at her feet. She looked up at the giant. He pointed at her, and told her that it was all her fault, that she brought this on them. He told her that he would put her out of her misery. She was frozen to the spot. She watched helplessly as he lunged at her._

X*X*X

Vanessa sat up in bed, gasping for air. Her heart was racing, and she didn't know where she was exactly. She was still new to the realm, and hadn't gotten used to everywhere yet. She felt a hand on her wrist, and she reacted before she did anything else. She jumped, threw her hands up, and throwing her attacker clear across the room. When she realized what she had done, and who she had done it to, she gasped, and put her hands to her mouth. She began crying. It was Loki. He got up, and went over to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her.

"It's okay now, you're okay now. I took care of the Frost Giants. They will not come after you again." Loki told her.

Her dream came back full force.

"I had a nightmare. You were...dead...everyone was dead. You, Thor, and Odin, at my feet. I couldn't save any of you." She told him.

He held her tighter.

"We are fine. All of us. We could not have succeeded, if you had not helped as much as you did. Odin has plans of honoring you as soon as you are well once again." He told her.

"I was just helping protect Asguard." She whispered.

"You did help, you actually died protecting Asguard." He said.

She pulled away from him slightly, to look directly at him.

"What?"

He nodded.

"You were pronounced dead, but I wouldn't let them do anything to your body. I couldn't let you go, I didn't want to believe that you were gone. About twenty minutes later, you had a beating heart once more. You slipped into a coma, and you started healing yourself. You healed at an amazing rate, even for our methods." He said.

That surprised her. She had been dead. For twenty minutes, and came back to life. How did that happen? Was she getting even more powers, abilities, that she'd never had before? One of them just happening to be a healing power? This was overwhelming.

Loki leaned in and kissed her. He was relieved that she had woken up, she could feel it in the way he kissed her. She was relieved that she was awake too. She looked around the room, and got claustrophobic. She needed to get out of the room they were in.

"Try to relax. A healer should check you over, now that you have woken up, to make sure that you are fully okay." He told her.

She frowned.

"I'm fine, I just want to leave, and relax in my own bed. I want to be alone, just the two of us." She told him.

She didn't want to be around a lot of people. She wanted to hide in the shadows, and try to forget the dream, if it was only for a short while.

All she wanted was for Loki to hold her, and never let her go. Ever. He brought her to her room, and they laid on the bed, locking the door. He put his arm under her head, and she buried her face in his chest, and he held her. Her rocked her until she fell back to sleep.

X*X*X

The palace was rebuilt. It took a while, but it was finally completed, and when it was finished, Odin honoured Vanessa for her sacrifice in the service of protecting Asguard. There had been a feast, and dancing, but Vanessa just wanted to be alone, with Loki, in either her room or his.

She started having nightmares about the frost giants, and them killing her. Over and over again. She would wake up gasping for air. Loki would wake up, and hold her, rocking her back to sleep, or just talking to her if she couldn't fall asleep. She didn't know if she would have made it without his help.

About a month after the palace was rebuilt, Loki and Vanessa finally got married. This time, it went smoothly. Nothing went wrong, and they made it through the ceremony flawlessly. Loki kissed her, and she felt so much lighter in spirit. After the ceremony, Loki and Vanessa grabbed some clothes, and headed for their honeymoon. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, he wanted to surprise her. They said their goodbyes to Thor and Odin, and went to the bifrost. Heimdall transported them to their destination.

**THE END.**


End file.
